


Torn Apart

by FindingSchmomo



Series: Wolf Husbands and How to Deal with Them, A Memoir by Oikawa Tooru [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Married Couple, Married Life, Muzzles, Seperation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:13:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingSchmomo/pseuds/FindingSchmomo
Summary: “A wolf?”“Don’t worry,” the nurse continues, “Animal control took care of it before it could hurt anyone. You’re fine--Oikawa-san? Oikawa-san!”But the nurse isn’t quick enough to prevent Oikawa from collapsing onto all fours on the ground, eyes wide and unblinking at the white, unforgiving floor beneath him, mind whirling and whirling and whirling around the many meanings of the phrasetook care of it.





	Torn Apart

**Author's Note:**

> This is part four of a series. It can be read on its own, but I would suggest reading the other fics first.

Oikawa whistles, and the large black wolf scampers back toward him eagerly, tail wagging behind him. Oikawa grins at it, kneeling down to scratch its face and ears, pinching and pulling at its furry cheeks. The wolf pants, leaning up to lick at its mate’s face. 

Oikawa laughs, warm and lovely. 

The wolf nuzzles into his neck in turn, slobbery and excited. Oikawa shivers at the cool breeze hitting the wet patches on his skin. He pulls back a little, leaning down to hook Iwaizumi’s collar around the wolf’s neck, making sure it’s on securely .

“Alright, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says, standing back up to his normal height, “I’m doing what you said, so you better be happy.”

He leans down to rifle through the drawstring bag by his knee, pulling out a colorful stick shaped toy. He squeezes it, grimacing at the high pitch squeal it lets out. Matsukawa had given him the bag a few days ago with a smirk and a wink. 

“I can’t believe you  _ don’t _ find this demeaning,” he sighs, before tossing the toy. The wolf dashes after it, jumping into the bushes and bringing it back clamped tightly in its jaw. It’s already puncture the toy right through, the poor stick giving off a pained wheeze. 

Oikawa raises an eyebrow, “Alright, drop it.”

The wolf doesn’t seem to understand, so Oikawa reaches for the toy only to have the wolf growl at his hand. 

Oikawa narrows his eyes, “Do you not understand the whole point of fetch?” The wolf keeps its jaws sealed, so Oikawa lets go of the toy with a roll of his eyes. Instead, he fishes out for another toy, this time a ball, and tosses that instead. It works, sending the wolf off in a frenzy. 

It’s still relatively early, even if the moon is visible in the sky. The cold December air bites at Oikawa’s cheeks, so he pulls his scarf up a bit higher on his face. He wants the wolf to tire itself out already so the beast can lay on him and provide him some much needed warmth. 

But the wolf is boundless with its energy, excited by the crunch of snow under its feet, and the attention it’s receiving this cycle from its mate. Maybe Iwaizumi was right, that he really  _ did _ need to give in to the wolf every now and again. 

The wolf nudges at his legs, fur a bit damp from the flecks of snow melting on it. It seems disinterested by the game now, whining a little and nuzzling into Oikawa’s knees. 

Oikawa crouches down to pet the wolf, even daring to press a kiss to the beast’s forehead indulgently. The wolf rewards him with excited licks to his face, and Oikawa does his best to hide his disgust. He bites his lip and then gives in. He throws his arms around the wolf’s neck and buries his face into the fur, squeezing tightly and hoping Iwaizumi feels it too. 

The position has the wolf nudging him more, with a bit more force, and Oikawa realizes it’s trying to maneuver him onto its back. Normally he would let go, but he replays Iwaizumi’s request in his mind and decides to get on the beast's back. 

The wolf takes off, and Oikawa is quick to take fistfulls of fur to hold on. The wind stings his eyes so he shuts them tight, and regrets not zipping up his coat all the way before allowing this adventure to take place. He grits his teeth. 

He’s not sure where the wolf is taking him, or how long it will take to get there, but eventually the beast slows to a walk. Oikawa is able to open his eyes then, and he sees that he’s been taken to the little river near their campsite. Or, on closer inspection, further down the river than he’s ever been. 

He lets out a tiny gasp at the sight of the small waterfall before him, gurgling down the sharp edge and pooling by his feet. He slips off the wolf’s back, and the wolf barks at him.

“It’s beautiful, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa praises, smiling down at the animal, before returning his gaze to the water. It glimmers in the moonlight, and Oikawa is thankful it’s not cold enough for it to have frozen over. 

He takes another step closer, and finds that some of the water  _ has _ frozen, into slick ice on the rocks, and he isn’t expecting it. He flails, falling back sharply, his head slamming into the rocks by the water.

And then there’s nothing. 

* * *

The wolf wails in panic, and Iwaizumi feels it in every cell of himself. But he can’t even focus on the heightened emotions rippling through him, because all he can see is Oikawa’s limp body bleeding on the rocky ground, and the river’s water tugging at his legs.

But he sees this through the terrified wolf’s eyes and he is  _ powerless _ . 

Luckily, the wolf spurs itself into action, launching forward, skidding on the slippery rock and clamping its strong jaws on Oikawa’s hood. It wrenches him back, dragging him away from the river as best it can and onto dry land. 

It lets go, letting out high pitched whines as it nuzzles at Oikawa’s neck and face, licking at the skin in a desperate attempt to rouse him. 

Oikawa does not respond. 

The wolf howls, its movements getting more erratic and desperate, hopping about on one foot and then the other.

Iwaizumi sees blood on the ground. 

There’s a burn in his chest, and the wolf’s behavior gets more erratic as it squeals and cries and Iwaizumi can’t take it. Because he can fix this, if he was himself. He can figure out what's wrong. He can get help. 

But the moon looms above him, shining light but casting no warmth.

Iwaizumi has had enough. 

A deep, utter hatred unfurls in his heart at the moon. For months,  _ years _ even, he had been subservient to her whims, had upended his entire life,  _ Oikawa’s _ entire life, because of this new cursed existence and now she  _ dared _ try to take his husband away from him?

Iwaizumi has had enough. 

The wolf howls, sudden, terrified and pained, and it collapses to the ground, heaving and shaking. It spins its head, wrenching it from side to side in confusion, bones scraping against each other, cracking and splitting. It cries out again, but the sound itself gets choked as its vocal cords tangle up in knots and all it can do is shake. 

Iwaizumi blinks his eyes open and can’t help but groan, his entire body burning from the turmoil he just endured. His mind is blank, only able to parse through the pulses of pain as he heaves for breath while laying naked on the freezing cold ground. 

It takes a few minutes but he’s finally able to summon the energy to sit up, hissing as his skin stretches with every movement he makes. He looks at his hands, and then he looks up at the moon high above him, white and unforgiving and whole. 

He didn’t know he could do that. 

The wolf gnaws at his ribs and he clutches his chest, forcing the beast down again. 

Maybe he can’t actually do that. 

He looks over at Oikawa, motionless beside him and digs his fingernails into his own chest. As if to tell the wolf to be quiet or else. 

“Listen,” he hisses as he stumbles up onto two feet, feeling uncoordinated, “You can’t do shit for him, so let me take over and I’ll make him better.”

He turns away from the moon to look down at Oikawa. Without the wolf’s emotions overpowering everything, he can see it’s not as serious as he thought. Oikawa is still clearly breathing, his chest rising up and down, but there is blood matting the back of his head. 

He’ll need stitches, is Iwaizumi’s best guess. 

The wind breathes against his bare back and he shudders, rubbing his naked arms with his hands. He shakes himself, leans down and hefts Oikawa up into his arms, maneuvering him onto his back. 

It’s a slow process back to the campsite. Iwaizumi is slower as a human, and even slower with the dead weight of Oikawa on his back. His arms shake with the burden every few minutes and he has to take a break to lean against a tree. His teeth chatter and his feet feel numb beneath him, though maybe that’s better than feeling every sharp pebble caught at the soles of his feet. 

He spends the lengthy trek talking aloud, even if Oikawa can’t hear him, a bit for his nerves but mostly to keep himself focused. The wolf runs circles in his chest, impatient and angry, and it’s easier to stay human if he keeps talking. 

The sight of their camp floods Iwaizumi with a burst of energy, and he rushes to set Oikawa down by the fire. He hurries to their tent to pull on his clothes again, sighing in relief. He digs through his bag for his keys and phone, pocketing them quickly. He puts the fire out but leaves everything else where it is and picks Oikawa back up again. He hears the man groan in his unconscious state, and takes it as a good sign. 

It’s a longer walk to their car, but this trek is more familiar for his two legs, and it’s incredible how a pair of boots can completely change a situation. Still, by the time he gets to his car, he has to lean against the hood and suck in a few much needed breaths. 

Once he has Oikawa in the car, buckled in, he calls the hospital to let them know he’s coming, and once he’s described everything, he hangs up and starts driving. 

“How do you do this?” Iwaizumi sighs, squeezing the steering wheel, “How do you talk nonstop every hour of every day? I’ve been trying for a bit over an hour now and my mouth’s already too dry.” He swallows, making a right turn, “You’re gonna be fine. Probably a few stitches. You’ll freak out when you wake up, but it looks like it’ll be hidden by your hair anyway. Oh shit,” he laughs, even though it’s excruciating, “I hope they have to shave a bit of your head, so you have a bald spot for a few weeks. That’d be hilarious.”

He keeps talking, about nothing, about everything. It’s a long drive to the hospital, but the roads are empty at this time of night. 

When he gets to the hospital they’re ushered through pretty quickly. Iwaizumi has to fight off a concerned nurse wanting to check  _ him _ , because he must look as bad as he feels.  Finally he convinces them he’s fine and they wheel Oikawa away to treat him.

And then Iwaizumi is hit with how  _ not _ fine he really is. 

He gasps, slamming one hand against his mouth and the other flying up to clutch at his chest. He curls forward, stumbling as he catches himself before he can fall to his knees. His vision doubles, and a desperate, terrified keen leaves his lips without his permission, sneaking through the gaps of his fingers. The sound is far from human. 

The wolf is restless. 

The wolf had not been calm since being forced back in its cage, with the moon still high overhead, but the moment its mate left its line of sight, it goes beserk. 

It rattles against Iwaizumi’s rib cage, and Iwaizumi wonders for the first time, if the wolf could kill him, if it could become so desperate for freedom that it would destroy them both in the process. He lets out a pained noise, and quickly runs into the bathroom across the hall before a nurse can question him. 

He looks  _ terrible _ . 

His skin is deathly white, whiter than the cursed moon, and he’s shiny with sweat all over his body. His eyes are sunken in, his hair disheveled. His shirt sticks to him in wet sweat soaked patches, and his chest is heaving. His hands are shaking. 

Another aching whine rips through his throat before he can clamp a hand over his mouth. 

“He’s  _ fine _ ,” Iwaizumi hisses through his gritted teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as pained tears fall down his cheeks, “He’s fine, he’s  _ fine _ . You have to calm-calm down.” 

The wolf is not calming down, in fact it only grows in its fervor. Clawing at Iwaizumi’s skin, tearing at his muscles. Until he finds himself sobbing from the effort of keeping it in. He’s sunken completely to the bathroom floor, a pile of pain and agony. 

He fishes out his phone, quickly tapping on a contact, and praying the known night owl on the other side of the line is awake. 

“Hey-O!”

“Matsun! Matsun-Matsun I need---” Iwaizumi gasps, his head wrenches to the side without his permission, smacking against the tiled wall. His brain rattles and he almost drops his phone. 

“Woah, Iwaizumi? Is that you? Shouldn’t you be in dog town right now? Are you alright?”

“Oikawa hurt,” Iwaizumi forces out, “At the hospital. I took over. Wolf’s coming back. I need--” He screams, as his legs twist uncontrollably, and this time he does drop his phone. He lets out a few heavy breaths unable to focus on the muffled words of his friend. 

He grasps at the phone bringing it back to his ear, “Get over here,” he orders. 

“Go to the park across the street,” Matsukawa says quickly to his ear, “Hiro and I are coming. We’ll meet you there. Even if you turn, it’s better there than in a hospital.”

Iwaizumi doesn’t respond, instead focusing whatever meager energy he has  left to stand up. He leans heavily against the wall, limping forward and dragging his twisted leg behind him. 

He stops before opening the door. 

There’s no way he can go out without being spotted and forced into treatment by a well meaning nurse with the way he looks now. There’s no way he’s going to get out of here. 

And it’s in that moment of self realization, that the wolf takes over completely. 

* * *

Oikawa blinks his eyes open to an unfamiliar ceiling and sunlight hitting his face. He turns his head to see a large window overseeing the city, with the morning sun rising over the horizon. He sits up a little, groaning at the throb at the back of his head.

He lifts his hand to touch the base of his skull and feels thick padded gauze. He blinks. 

He looks down at the gown he’s wearing, and at the white sheets he’s resting on. 

He’s in a hospital.

“Iwa-chan?” he calls out, more so from instinct than anything. He’s not hooked up to any tubes  so he swings his legs over the edge of the bed and stands up. He opens the door to the hallway, but it’s clear. He frowns. 

The room is mostly empty, his clothes aren’t in his line of sight. 

He walks back over to his cot and presses the call button on the wall. 

A few minutes pass and a frazzled nurse comes in through the door. She looks surprised to see him out of bed, “Oh, Oikawa-san, good morning. How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Oikawa says with a forced smile, “Two questions: Why am I here? Where is my husband?”

“Ah,” the nurse says, “Apologies, your husband checked you in last night because of a head injury. You needed six stitches. We need to check to make sure you did not get a concussion.”

Oikawa blinks, touching the back of his head again, “And my husband?”

“Oh, well, we’ve been trying to contact him, but his phone seems to be dead,” she swallows.

“Where are my clothes?” Oikawa continues, unperturbed. His own phone would most likely still be in his jean pocket. He can figure things out from there. 

“Oh, we must have left them in your old room,” the nurse mumbles. 

“My what?” Oikawa asks, squinting his eyes. 

The nurse presses her lips together thinly, regretting her words. She sighs, “We had a, an incident last night. But we got you out of the room safely.”

“An incident?”

“It’s hard to believe,” the nurse shakes her head, “But, but somehow a wolf got into the hospital and practically destroyed the first room you were in.”

“A wolf?”

“Don’t worry,” the nurse continues, “Animal control took care of it before it could hurt anyone. You’re fine--Oikawa-san? Oikawa-san!”

But the nurse isn’t quick enough to prevent Oikawa from collapsing onto all fours on the ground, eyes wide and unblinking at the white, unforgiving floor beneath him, mind whirling and whirling and whirling around the many meanings of the phrase

_ took care of it. _

* * *

“Oikawa, you need to  _ breathe _ .” Hanamaki repeats, hands tightening their grip around the other man’s shaking shoulders.

Oikawa shakes his head, tears sprinkling down in his lap as he continues to hyperventilate. Hanamaki grits his teeth, squeezing harder, trying to get through to his friend. 

“Oikawa,  _ Oikawa _ , he’s okay we promise.”

“Sh-shot because of  _ me _ . Taken to some-some,” Oikawa sucks in a wet gasping breath, “science facility. Experimented on. He might be dead!”

“Oikawa!”

“Autopsy!” Oikawa sobs, covering his leaking face with his trembling hands. 

Hanamaki flicks his head to look at Matsukawa in the driver’s seat, “How much longer?”

“Pulling in,” Matsukawa replies. 

“Oikawa, you need to get a hold of yourself.”

“My husband’s been dognapped! Forgive me for being a mess, Hanamaki, when my worst fears for the past two years have finally come true.”

“I’m this close to slapping you,” Hanamaki snaps, “Animal control brought him to the pound, but he’s fine. They just knocked him out. We’ll go in, explain he’s your dog, and go out. Okay?” Hanamaki pulls his own shirt sleeve down to wipe at Oikawa’s disgusting face, “But you need to get yourself together if you want to be taken seriously.”

Oikawa tries to even his breathing, but his voice is still weepy and his eyes bloodshot. 

Hanamaki shakes his head, “You’re never like this. What happened to calm collected cool Oikawa Tooru? Always prepared for any crisis?”

Oikawa swallows wetly, and shakes his head, “But it’s  _ Hajime _ ,” he whispers miserably. 

Hanamaki tsks and turns away completely, getting out of the vehicle. Oikawa wipes at his face with his own sleeves, trying to control himself. He opens the door and stumbles out weakly. He realizes he still has his hospital bracelet on and tugs at it anxiously. 

Matsukawa opens the door to the pound, and Hanamaki and Oikawa step in. They can hear barking coming from the back, but the front lobby is clean and empty. A secretary sits at the front desk. 

Hanamaki takes the lead, leaning against the desk, “Hi, my friend’s dog ran off last night and was picked up by animal control? I was here last night to get him but couldn’t without the owner present, so,” he motions to Oikawa beside him, who waves his hand meekly.

The secretary nods, “Can I have your adoption paperwork?”

Oikawa blinks and shakes his head, “He was a stray,” he lies quickly.

She nods again, “Alright, then I just need your veterinarian papers.”

Oikawa squeezes his fingers into the palms of his hands, “I don’t have any,” he says, quickly adding, “With me at the moment.”

The secretary squints at him, “Is your dog chipped?”

Oikawa swallows, “No.”

“Sir, do you have any way to prove this animal is yours?”

“The dog loves him,” Matsukawa cuts in, “If you just have him see him it’ll be obvious.”

The secretary doesn’t seem impressed, “We can’t release a dog without confirmation you’re the owner. Come back with your vet papers. Describe your dog for me? We can make sure we put a hold on any adoptions.”

Oikawa wants to cry, but he sucks in a breath, “He is a large black dog with green eyes.”

The secretary pauses from where she is typing on her keyboard, “Wait,” she looks away from her screen to stare at Oikawa, “Are you claiming to own the wild  _ wolf _ , we tranquilized last night?”

“Can I please just see him,” Oikawa begs, leaning forward onto the desk. 

The woman pulls away, “It is illegal to own wolves, sir. They’re dangerous animals. Not to mention endangered in this country.”

“Can I please just see him,” Oikawa begs, again, “Please,  _ please _ .”

The woman presses her lips together, types something on her keyboard before standing up. She grabs her keys and steps around her desk, toward the backdoor. Oikawa follows after her, and Hanamaki and Matsukawa take up the rear. 

They walk down a long row of miserable cages. Dogs snarl and bark as they pass through, making Hanamaki jump despite the best of him. The cages are small, the sound deafening and the smell nauseating. 

They take a left, and the secretary unlocks another door, “He’s being moved,” she explains, “We don’t have the capabilities of housing a wolf.”

Oikawa isn’t listening, having lunged to the grey link fence, fingers slipping through the holes and tightening around the cold metal. 

“Iwa-chan!” 

The wolf is lying down on its side in the center of the small cage, back facing the humans. When it hears its name its ears flick back and it turns it head. It takes a moment but soon it stumbles onto its feet to stagger over. 

Oikawa gasps, hand releasing the chain link to cover his mouth. The wolf sports a tight black muzzle, keeping its mouth firmly shut. A whine pushes through despite it, as the wolf tries to burrow itself through the gaps in the fence. 

Oikawa’s heart breaks, “Iwa-chan, I’m here, I’ve got you,” he murmurs, doing his best to twist his fingers to stroke whatever bits of fur he can reach, “I’ll get you home.”

“See, isn’t it obvious that’s his dog?” Hanamaki insists.

“Owning a wolf is illegal. Animal abuse, to keep an animal like this in the city. It can’t be domesticated,” the secretary snaps.

Oikawa pulls away from the wolf to turn his head around, “If I bring his papers I can take him home right? That’s what you said?”

“Sir, this animal belongs in a sanctuary not in your private home,” she replies, “He’s being moved as soon as possible.”

“And if I have special permission to keep him? Signed off by a vet? Special housing?” Oikawa presses, standing up to his full intimidating height. “Give me the address he’s being moved to,” he demands, “Do you know who you’re speaking to? Now, once you give me the address I will be on my way to speak to my vet, and I will be back to get my dog, do you hear me?”

The woman stares at him, attempting to stutter out a reply. Oikawa doesn't have time for that, turning away briskly to leave the god forsaken place. He can hear the wolf crying out for him, a whine muffled by its muzzle but still loud enough to ring through Oikawa’s ears. He can’t turn around or he wouldn’t be able to leave. He keeps walking. 

* * *

“Oikawa, where are we going?” Matsukawa asks, holding onto the handle on the ceiling of his car. Oikawa makes a sharp left, and Hanamaki lets out a squawk from the back seat.

“Oikawa, you need to calm down!” Hanamaki shouts. 

Oikawa ignores him. 

“Look, we’re all upset but we need to figure out a plan. Maybe KyouKen can help us out, forge some documents or something.”

Oikawa shakes his head, “KyouKen isn’t a vet. He’s a glorified zookeeper. Those hardasses aren’t going to accept that.”

“Well, it’s not like we can convince an  _ actual _ vet to forge documents for Iwaizumi,” Hanamaki reasons. 

“Wait,” Matsukawa pauses, “Do you know a vet?”

Oikawa grits his teeth, gunning down on his gas pedal to make it through the yellow light of the intersection, “Unfortunately.”

* * *

“My, my, if it isn’t my favorite human being in the whole wide world,” Oikawa sings, as he slams the door behind him.

Ushijima Wakatoshi blinks at the three men coming towards him from the car, straightening up from the crouch he had been in. He shoos the goat by his feet away and takes his gloves off.

“Oikawa?” he asks.

“The one and only,” Oikawa grits his teeth, batting his eyelashes.

“I am honored to be your favorite human being,” Ushijima replies sincerely, “Although I would appreciate more warning for impromptu visits. I ran out of tea yesterday.”

Oikawa rolls his eyes, not deeming the comment with a response. Instead he shifts his gaze around. It had been years since he had last visited Ushijima’’s farm. It was far from any hopes of civilization, dirty and smelly. 

And Ushijima was there. 

The goat nearby lets out a shout, too human-like to put Oikawa at ease. 

Ushijima hushes it. 

It starts to piss. 

Oikawa wants to get back in his car, but holds still and tries not to gag. For Hajime. He would do anything for Hajime. He takes in a breath--regretting it when he inhales a nauseating array of aromas--and continues, “You’re a veterinarian, right?”

“I am,” Ushijima nods, “I specialize in large animals. Why? Did you hit a deer and need assistance?”

“What? No,” Oikawa shakes his head, “I need....” he bites his lip and forces the rest out as quickly as he can, “I need your help.”

“Of course,” Ushijima nods, “What is it you need assistance with?”

Oikawa sucks in another sickening breath, puffing up his cheeks as he tries to figure out his words, “I have...a dog and he got caught by....animal control and I need papers to get him back.”

Ushijima squints, “Do you not have a local vet? Have you not chipped your animal? That is incredibly irresponsible. I include information on all the important basics of pet care in my monthly newsletters. Have you not read them?”

Oikawa doesn’t mention they go straight into the trash, “It’s complicated. Can’t you do me a favor?”

“I do not work with dogs,” Ushijima replies.

“He’s a very big dog,” Hanamaki offers, “A very,  _ very _ big dog.”

“A wolf, if you will,” Matsukawa adds. 

Ushijima frowns, “Pardon?”

Hanamaki sighs, “Oikawa, you’re gonna have to tell him. Or he’s not going to be able to help.”

“If you want someone to forge paperwork and threaten their livelihood the decent thing is to tell them the full story of what they’re doing,” Matsukawa agrees. 

“You want me to do what?” Ushijima blinks.

Oikawa presses his lips into a thin line, “Fine! Fine! You happy Ushiwaka? I’ll tell you. Remember that wolf that scratched you up the night of my wedding?”

“...Yes?” Ushijima nods slowly. 

“Well, that’s my husband.”

Ushijima stares at him, “I apologize, I did not know you and Iwaizumi had divorced--”

“What! No! The wolf  _ is  _ Iwaizumi you idiot!”

“I am afraid I am unable to follow your train of thought.”

“Ugg, look, let’s go inside and out of the cold and I’ll do my best to get your lumbering mind up to speed.”

“You have an interesting way of asking for favors, Oikawa,” Ushijima comments, but turns around to lead them to his ranch style home down the dirt path of his driveway anyway.

* * *

It takes days. Days to forge all the paperwork, and build up enough records to be believable. Oikawa wants to be thorough, brings over all of Iwaizumi’s medical records so that everything comes out correct. Ushijima is even more particular, since he’s putting so much on the line. He takes his practice incredibly seriously.

Oikawa stops going to work. Uses up all his sick days, and starts eating away at his vacation ones. He’s told Iwaizumi’s workplace that he is incredibly sick, but he doesn’t know how long they’ll buy it before he gets fired. He can’t bring himself to worry about it without feeling paralyzed by the situation he is in.  Instead he focuses on the task at hand. 

At first he thought having to deal with Ushijima for so long and so often would drive him insane, but it’s actually a blessing in disguise. Anything to get him out of his empty apartment, anything to keep his mind from obsessing over Iwaizumi locked in a cage by himself, miserable and muzzled down.  _ Anything _ , but that. 

It takes weeks. Weeks to convince the sanctuary Iwaizumi has been taken to to even listen to him. To give him the time of day. Oikawa isn’t even able to  _ see _ Iwaizumi again until almost a month since he found him at the pound. 

When he does see him he almost breaks down completely. 

The wolf is in a large enclosure with other wolves. He’s much bigger than the rest of them, darker coloring and eyes all the more piercing. He’s a handsome wolf, Oikawa must admit, but he may be biased in that observation. 

The reserve keepers have spent the past eternity trying to get him to give up this battle. Reminding him that wolf owning is illegal, explaining to him how dangerous these wild animals are, informing him of how dangerous  _ this _ particular wolf is. 

“He is incredibly aggressive, Oikawa-san,” the one woman tells him, “No one can go near him and expect to leave unscathed. It took weeks to get him acclimated to other wolves, and even then he won’t socialize properly. He and the other male wolves get into spats all the time.”

“This proves he’s not meant to be here,” Oikawa replies instead, undeterred, “If you would just let me see him it would be obvious. If you want what’s best for him you’d want him with  _ me _ .”

They’re finally worn down enough by his persistence to let him visit, if only to prove their point of how volatile the beast really is. But the results leave them flabbergasted.

“He likes to hide deep in the enclosure. It might take some time for him to come out,” one of the keepers says when Oikawa walks up to the fence. 

Oikawa ignores him, cupping his hands around his mouth, “Iwa-chan! Iwa-chan! Can you hear me?”

Oikawa gnaws at his chewed up lip, squeezing his hands close to his chest. There’s a sudden fear that seizes his heart, that he’s too late, that he’s taken too long. That the wolf has forgotten him. That Iwaizumi is lost, having been stuck a wolf for so long.

( _ Why hasn’t he changed back?,  _ is a question that plagues Oikawa’s mind every night.)

But it only takes a minute before the foliage breaks, and the wolf is bounding to him, its gait desperate and hurried. It howls, loud and excited, barreling into the fence, with so much force Oikawa worries he’ll bust right through it. And then he wishes he would. But the fence holds steady, and instead the wolf keens and whimpers, squirming against it, trying to slip through the chain links in any way possible. 

“I’m here,” Oikawa whispers, the words wet in his throat as he sticks his fingers through the chains, “I’m here, I’m here.”

The wolf licks at his fingers, whining even louder and it breaks Oikawa’s heart, “I know,” he murmurs, “I’m so sorry it’s taking so long. Be patient, Iwa-chan. I’ll get you back, ok? Just, just be patient.”

The wolf can’t understand him, but the sight of its mate fills it with desperate energy. It gnaws at the fence, claws scrabbling at the dirt under its feet. 

Eventually though, it tires out, slipping to the ground, pressing its body closely to the fence, so its fur sticks through the gaps. Oikawa sits down beside it, missing the warmth of the body on the other side. He would stay there forever if he could. 

The keepers force him away. 

Their arguments change after that. They still harp on the legality of letting him keep a wild animal. But now they emphasize the fact wolves are endangered, and regardless of their previous insistence on how aggressive and dangerous this wolf is, they remind Oikawa of what a perfect  _ specimen _ he is. 

A stud, if you will. 

Oikawa doesn’t follow at first. Can’t follow, until he realizes what the sanctuary is aiming to accomplish with the wolf. With  _ his _ wolf. To renew efforts on helping regrow the natural population. 

“They want to pimp out my husband!” Oikawa shrieks at Hanamaki when he’s at their home, three bottles deep and hoping to forget about the entire world for a night. For just one night not to be plagued with soul crushing anxiety. 

“Oikaw--”

“What did I do to deserve this,” Oikawa hisses, clawing at his drink, “I know I’m a jealous, awful man, but now I have to worry about-about bitches?  _ Real _ actual bitches?”

“Oikawa--”

“How am I supposed to look at my husband if I know he’s fucked a dog!”

“Oikawa, we have neighbors!” Hanamaki shouts, “And, despite common belief, we don’t actually want them to think we’re weird.”

“Listen to me, Oikawa,” Matsukawa continues, taking hold of the man’s shoulder, “I don’t know a gayer man in this world than Iwaizumi Hajime. Those scientist aren’t seeing puppies anytime soon.”

Oikawa sniffles, wiping snot on his sleeve, “R-Right. You’re right. He is really gay.”

“Well, in most breeding programs, if the animals don’t comply, they’ll usually just artificially inseminate,” Kyoutani states, only to have Yahaba shove an elbow into his gut hard enough for him to double over and almost crack his chin against the counter. 

Oikawa almost throws his glass at him. Or does, but Matsukawa manages to catch it before it can hit anything. 

“Oikawa, calm down,” Yahaba pleads. 

“You want me to be calm? Calm? Calm when I know Iwa-chan’s been trapped in cage for a  _ month _ , and now I have to try to sleep at night knowing those perverts are trying to give him handjobs?”

“Oikawa--”

“I want him back!” Oikawa cries, deflating on the counter in a miserable wet puddle, “I want Hajime back. I don’t know what to do this anymore. Please, I just want him back.”

“I’m sorry,” Matsukawa murmurs. 

“We all want him back,” Hanamaki insists, “We’re gonna get him back, captain. We are.”

“We’ve been doing this all wrong,” Yahaba decides, “Of course they’re not gonna let you have him. It’s illegal, end of story.”

“What the fuck, Yahaba,” Hanamaki snaps, shooting him a glare when the comment only makes OIkawa sob  _ louder _ . He pats the crying man’s shoulder.

“No, I mean, listen,” Yahaba huffs, “We stop arguing about Oikawa taking him back, but instead having Iwaizumi  _ moved _ .”

“Moved?” Matsukawa repeats, “Where?”

Yahaba puts both his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulder, shoving him toward their older friends as if presenting a perfect solution, “To a  _ closer _ , sanctuary.” He smiles as he watches the gears start to turn in the heads of his less than sober friends, “A sanctuary with a keeper who might be able to look the other way and have a wolf,  _ disappear _ .”

“Holy shit,” Matsukawa whispers. 

“Yahaba, you beautiful genius,” Hanamaki murmurs. 

Kyoutani shrugs the hands off his shoulders, “I take my job very seriously.”

“I know you do, babe,” Yahaba replies, sipping his drink and enjoying the way Kyoutani’s ears redden, “But just this once you’re gonna need to mess up, so we can get Iwaizumi out, before Oikawa loses his job and has to move in with us.”

Kyoutani shudders, “Fuck, fine. Anything but that.”

* * *

Oikawa works with both Ushijima and Kyoutani to forge incident papers, of Iwaizumi having been housed at the smaller reservation previously. It’s not a complete lie; the wolf  _ had  _ spent a night there before.

They simply stretch the truth. That when Oikawa had to go on an extended business trip, he’d had the wolf stay at the reserve. Kyoutani creates paperwork documenting a weeklong stay, noting positive behavior and interactions with the other two wolves they have. Ushijima bolsters the paperwork with his own, brandishing documents in which Oikawa had visited his place before the trip for a checkup and asked for suggestions on where to keep his animal. 

They craft a story that Iwaizumi is more comfortable at this reservation, and it offers them a compromise, in which the wolf will be kept in a suitable environment but Oikawa only needs to drive 45 minutes to visit him, rather than a few hours. 

But it is still not enough impetus to have the current sanctuary move him. Not when Iwaizumi is doing fine in his current enclosure. Moving him now would disrupt all the work they’ve done acclimating him with the pack. 

Oikawa knows this is bullshit. Knows it from the scratch marks along Iwaizumi’s side, knows it from the way the other wolves steer clear, knows it from the murmured complaints of the keepers who think they’re out of earshot. 

“Iwa-chan,” he whispers, on his next visit, stroking the poor wolf’s fur through the fence, “Iwa-chan, we’re so close to getting you out but I need your help.” The wolf licks his fingers, and Oikawa lets out a sigh, trying to weasel more than just two fingers through the chain link fence. He does his best to get the wolf to look at him, straight on.

“Hajime,” he pleads, hoping somehow Iwaizumi could hear him, could hear him and convince the wolf to do this, “Hajime, listen to me. We need you to stir trouble. We need you to cause havoc, especially with the other wolves. Don’t be good anymore. Be awful. Terrible. So they  _ have _ to move you. Do you understand?”

The wolf licks his fingers again and Oikawa groans, defeated. 

But perhaps he really should have more faith in the wolf. Because for the next week his behavior becomes more volatile than ever before. He lashes out at keepers, claws at their bodies if they dare come to close. He forces the other wolves into submission, he tears away at his enclosure. He digs roots up to overturn trees, he keeps the other wolves from eating by shucking whatever meat out of the cage, and he howls at all hours of the night until the reserve is inundated with complaints. 

It works, it wears them down and finally,  _ finally _ , two months after this whole ordeal started, the wolf is sedated and sent off to the sanctuary that Kyoutani works at. 

Of course, the beast never makes it there. The truck crashes into a river, and the wolf, unable to awaken, drowns. A tragedy.

Ushijima writes the death report. 

Kyoutani takes the hit with his own sanctuary.

Oikawa plays the hysterical heartbroken owner. 

And it passes. 

All the while, Matsukawa and Hanamaki are able to transport the wolf back to their own apartment, where no one would bother to look.

And it works. 

And after a few days of lying low, Oikawa finally feels comfortable enough to bring his husband home. 

And confront the terrible reality that his husband is still, most definitely, a dog. 

“Hajime,” Oikawa insists, rubbing the wolf’s head and holding it close, “Hajime, you can come back to me now. You’re safe. You’re good. Come on.”

The wolf licks his nose. 

Oikawa buries his face into its furry neck, part of him hoping he suffocates, “Did I take too long? Are you stuck like this forever? I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry,  _ please _ ,” he begs. 

But the wolf remains a wolf and merely barks at him.

The wolf is different than it normally is. More subdued and content, like the months of seperation and harsh reality had forced it to mature beyond its years. It does not destroy their apartment, it does not howl loudly in the night. It behaves, for the most part.

It follows Oikawa about, keeping close. It climbs into bed and keeps him warm throughout the night. It looks up at Oikawa with it’s large beautiful green eyes, and it breaks his heart. 

Oikawa wonders, idly one night, petting the wolf’s head as it rests against his chest, if perhaps the wolf could only age while it was in control. If it’s excitable nature was just it’s mental puppyhood, extended by it’s 24 hour existence every month.

He doesn’t know. There’s no one to ask. 

When Oikawa receives a letter from Iwaizumi’s office of his termination, he calls in sick at his own workplace and spends the day in his bed, staring at his ceiling. The wolf is worried around him, licking at his hands, and tugging at his pant leg to get him up. But Oikawa can’t bring himself to move. 

“This is it, isn’t it Iwa-chan?” Oikawa says aloud, “I guess this was always bound to happen. This is just...this is just how it’s going to be.”

The wolf tilts its head to the side. 

Oikawa sucks in a breath, pressing his hands to his face, and immediately regretting it when he feels how slimey one of them is. He pulls it back and wipes it on the bed sheets. 

“What am I gonna tell Auntie,” he whispers. And he can’t bear the thought of confronting his mother-in-law with the news she’s never going to see her son again. He can’t think about it anymore.

He sits up and grabs his laptop from the night stand. 

Oikawa starts looking at homes in the suburbs. In the countryside. He even calls Ushijima, and asks if there’s anything in his neighborhood available. Ushijima reminds him he doesn’t have a neighborhood and that his closest neighbor is five miles away. Oikawa hangs up on him. 

Oikawa does his best to include Iwaizumi in it as much as he can. He shows the wolf pictures of homes, he describes them, he mentions which ones have the largest yards, how one has a  _ pool _ he could swim in, that this one is all one level so he doesn’t have to climb the stairs. 

The wolf doesn’t provide much input, other than to nuzzle into Oikawa’s side at any given opportunity. It’s cute, but it breaks Oikawa’s heart all the same. 

* * *

“I did not know you would bring your, um, dog,” the realtor says.

“I need his opinion too,” Oikawa replies, earning him an awkward laugh from the woman. He pats the wolf’s head, where it’s seated calmly beside him. It feels weird to have the beast on a leash, but societal conventions demand it. 

“Right,” the woman says, “Well, erm, I suppose it’s fine as long as he stays downstairs.”

The wolf doesn’t like climbing stairs anyway. Oikawa nods, and the realtor lets them in through the locked door. It’s a small home, but with a large, unkempt yard. A massive yard, honestly. It’s cheap too, although, it  _ is _ in the middle of nowhere. If anyone had asked Oikawa to consider living in a place like this three years ago he would have laughed in their face. 

But things change.

The inside is actually quite nice. Simply decorated and clean. Oikawa learns an old woman lives here, and she prides herself on keeping her home neat. It helps she only uses two rooms. She’s converted the downstairs office into a bedroom, but Oikawa can easily change it back. 

When he goes upstairs he has to leave the wolf by the staircase, tying his leash to the banister to keep the realtor happy. The wolf keens as he climbs up the stairs, and it’s the first noise he’s made all morning. Oikawa shushes it, “I’ll be right back, Iwa-chan, ok? Please stay good for me?”

He regrets tying the leash to the banister, because one fierce tug and the whole railing could come down. He tries not to think about it. 

The upstairs is dusty, but the rooms are decently sized. There’s a bathroom up here too, and although it’s a bit small he could live with it. Everything needs a fresh coat of paint. He hurries back down and the beast barks at him, nuzzling into his stomach. 

“See, I’m here, don’t worry,” Oikawa murmurs. 

Although the wolf had definitely matured over the few weeks, it had definitely gotten more clingy. Any moment Oikawa was not in direct eyesight spiked it’s anxious nature. Oikawa can’t really blame it after all it’s been through. 

But it’s so very un-Iwaizumi like. 

Oikawa can’t think about it, turning to the realtor and giving a smile as she leads them to the back sliding door. 

The yard is a disaster. Weeds have overtaken everything, the grass reaches up to his midcalf. There is a fence around the perimeter, but it only exists in parts, all of which look to be rotting. He bites his lip.

“She hasn’t been able to take care of the yard,” the realtor explains, “Arthritis and old bones. But it means you can get the place at a discounted price.”

Oikawa hates yard work. Had never wanted a yard. He doesn’t like getting dirty, doesn’t like manual labor and getting on his hands and knees. He doesn’t like the idea of sacrificing his free time to a massive project like this. And without Iwaizumi here, all the work would fall onto him. 

The wolf tugs its leash to step into the yard and Oikawa loosens the slack so the beast can dash out. It sniffs at the long grass and then rolls into it, carefree and amused and Oikawa can’t help but smile. 

“When can I put down an offer?”

* * *

“Iwa-chan are you excited?” Oikawa asks, clapping his hands to have the wolf come into his lap. The wolf does so, nuzzling and licking at the crook of his neck and shoulder. Oikawa giggles, “Of course you’re excited,” he mumbles into the fur.

He pulls away to continue packing things into the cardboard box, “You’ll actually get to be outside, and you can run around. People will be too lazy to come visit out there and stop asking where you’ve been. It’ll be great.” Oikawa swallows, trying to get his hands to stop trembling, “It’s going to be great,” he repeats, even though his voice still cracks. 

The wolf licks his hand and he smiles, pulling his hand back to start wiping at his eyes. He gets up, grabbing more things off their bookshelf to bring back to the box.  He sits back down, and the wolf rests its head on his knee, looking up with its big green eyes. Oikawa scratches behind its ears.

“Look, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says softly, bringing the photo frame in his hands, “ Look, it’s us. Remember? At the bamboo forest for our wedding pictures.” He bites his lip, tracing a finger over the glass, “You were so handsome in your hakama, God,” he lets out a shuddered breath, picking his wrist up to press at his eyes, “I miss you.”

And then, just like that, all the tears he’d be holding back pour out of him. He can’t stop crying, right there on the floor in his half empty living room, sobbing and shaking and wanting his husband back, wanting his best friend back, want  _ Iwaizumi Hajime _ back. 

“I know,” he chokes, as the wolf keens worriedly beside him, “I know it’s not your fa-fault, but, this is so hard, Hajime. It’s so hard, and I just, how do I get you back? Can I ever get you back?”

The wolf whimpers again, but this time it sounds more pained than worried, head wrenching back and forth. Oikawa blinks, swallowing thickly, “Iwa-chan?”

The wolf lets out a louder whimper, feet scrabbling at the floor. Oikawa frowns, “Are you alright? What’s, what’s wrong?”

The wolf collapses to the ground, trembling and shaking, Oikawa’s eyes widen with recognition, “Are you coming back? Hajime?”

The wolf howls, long and suffering, and it hurts Oikawa but it also bubbles excitement in his chest, “I know it hurts, keep pushing,” he urges, running a hand across the beast’s back, “Please, if you can hear me, for the love of god keep trying to get out.”

It’s awful, to sit there as the wolf writhes in pain. To just let it happen, encourage it even, but this is the first ray of hope Oikawa’s had since that awful night. 

The beast keeps crying, whining and spasming on the floor, and it gets to the point where it’s taking much too long, and Oikawa starts to think something might be very wrong with the wolf. He doesn’t remember it ever taking this long. He pulls back from petting the wolf, hurrying away to grab his cellphone. He might need to call Ushijima or Kyoutani and see if they could help. 

He has the phone pressed to his ear, his back turned away, and hears a groan from the other line. “KyouKen?” he starts, only to have the ringing pierce his ear. Odd, he could have sworn he heard a groan. 

He hears another, realizes it’s  _ not _ coming from the phone and whirls around. 

And there on the ground, trembling and groaning, is Iwaizumi Hajime. 

“Hajime!” Oikawa shrieks, rushing forward and dropping to the floor. He grabs an armful of his husband, bringing him close to his chest, “I thought--I thought, oh god, you’re  _ back _ .”

Iwaizumi lets out another groan, body limp, breath ragged and skin sweaty. He rests his head in the crook of Oikawa’s neck and doesn’t do much else. 

“Are you alright?” Oikawa can’t help but ask, fingers squeezing the man as if he might disappear at any moment, “Do you need water? What took you so long?”

Iwaziumi bites his neck lightly, to shut him up before turning his head to nuzzle into his husband. 

Oikawa lets him, because he’s just happy to have him back.

Iwaizumi doesn’t start speaking til the next day, and even then his words are stilted and croaky, out of practice and winded. He’s shaky on his feet, tired and quiet. 

Oikawa doesn’t complain. Can’t bring himself to, not when Iwaizumi is so unlike himself. So open and vulnerable. He can’t leave Oikawa’s side for long, lets out whimpers without noticing when he’s too far away, nuzzle into him as much as he can. 

Oikawa figures being a wolf for so long must have its consequences, and he’s patient and indulgent with this softer Iwaizumi for the time being. As long as it takes. 

“We don’t have to move,” is the first full sentence Iwaizumi manages, at the end of the week.

“Yes we do,” Oikawa says calmly, taking the silverware out of the drawers.

Iwaizumi shakes his head, “I’m, I’m back, I promise. And, I think, I think I’ve figured out how to, how to control it.”

Oikawa blinks, “What do you mean?”

“The night you got hurt, I forced myself back in control. And it worked. But the wolf wrestled it back because, because the  _ moon _ . But when, when I was in those cages, I knew I  _ could _ change back, but I...I didn't. I assumed there were cameras and it would be too suspicious.”

“Why didn’t you change back immediately when I got you here?” Oikawa asks, pausing. 

“I tried but by then,” Iwaizumi licks his lips, “By then the wolf seemed too comfortable being in control, he fought back.” He lets out a light chuckle, and it sounds just like his old Iwaizumi that it burns Oikawa’s chest, “You were too good to him,” Iwaizumi continues.. 

Oikawa bites his lip, looking down at the counter, “It’s awful to only exist once a month, isn’t it?”

Iwaizumi looks at him. 

Oikawa puts down the silverware he’s wrapping, moving over to kneel on the floor where Iwaizumi is sitting. (Whether his husband has noticed or not, he seems to prefer to sit on the floor more than anything recently). He takes Iwaizumi’s hands, calloused and big and strong. He runs his fingers over them, trying not to think about the tiny new scars that litter his body, “Iwa-chan, I think you’ve been right all along,” he murmurs, “We should embrace the wolf. If you can control it, then have him come out more often.”

“Really?” Iwaizumi blinks, “Are you sure?”

“I think,” Oikawa chews his lip, “I think if you let him out more, he won’t force his way out. Maybe you won’t have to be tied to the moon even. I don’t know. It’s just an idea.”

“Huh,” Iwaizumi grunts. He squeezes Oikawa’s hands, “Maybe.”

Oikawa snorts, leaning forward to kiss him, and Iwaizumi kisses back eagerly, hands moving to grip Oikawa’s hips. He pulls Oikawa into his lap, earning him a giggle that pleases him way more than it should, wagging an imaginary tail behind him. 

“In the new place,” Oikawa continues, giggling and smiling as Iwaizumi kisses his face and neck, “We’ll be alone, and have a big yard, so you can turn whenever you want without worrying.”

“I need to get a job,” Iwaizumi growls. 

Oikawa pets his hair, “You can be my little house husband for a while. My little house puppy.”

“And you claim to not be a furry.”

Oikawa pinches his cheek, and Iwaizumi bares his teeth instinctively. Oikawa laughs, smoothing down the cheek apologetically, “Mm, Ushiwaka wants you to come by his shop. He might have something for you to do.”

“Yeah?” Iwaizumi murmurs, “I know he helped me but god does the wolf hate him.”

Oikawa blinks, cupping Iwaizumi’s face to look at him straight on, “Wait, really?”

Iwaizumi leans his head into Oikawa’s palm, “Yeah, his scent is nauseating, especially when it’s all over you.” He grits his teeth to hold back the snarl burbling in his throat without his permission, but the words still slip out, “You’re  _ mine _ .”

Oikawa breaks out into a grin, wicked and smug, kissing Iwaizumi, “The wolf’s got more sense than I ever gave him credit for.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks again for joining me in wolf town
> 
> love this silly little au
> 
> your reviews keep me going
> 
> until next time


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